Rules of Engagement
by readbetweenthesigns
Summary: An AU weekend from season 3. Quinn and Puck have great relationships with their moms, not so much with their dads. During this one weekend, Quinn has to deal with her dad getting engaged, her realisation of where her relationship with Puck is going and the fact that she and her sister don't even like each other. Here's how it happened... Rated T for safety.*One Shot*


**Disclaimer: Ownership is neither claimed nor implied.**

**A/N: Life and love, Quick style...**

"But its Friday night," Puck pouted, throwing himself down on Quinn's bed. "No one does their homework on a Friday night," he complained.

"I do," Quinn replied with a smile and continued to do the work set by her English teacher. "This week anyway."

"I'm bored," Puck announced, tossing and turning, sighing and groaning. He didn't miss Quinn rolling her eyes.

"Go downstairs and talk to my mom, she'll keep you company," Quinn suggested, an air of distraction about her, she really, really wanted to get this finished so that she could have the rest of the weekend free.

"Hello Noah," Judy said with a smile. "Did Quinn send you down for snacks?" she asked as Puck wandered into the kitchen alone.

"Nah, she kicked me out so that she could concentrate on her homework," Puck sighed, taking a seat at the breakfast bar on the opposite side to where Judy was working, decorating an extremely intricate cake. "That looks delicious," he told her as he watched her work.

"Thank you, I hope it is delicious," Judy replied, looking at the cake critically, checking every single aspect of it for any variances, she wanted this to be so perfect, she needed this cake to be more than perfect, she needed it to be _exceptional_.

"What's it for?" Puck asked, taking a further interest when he noted something just off to the side, some decorations that Judy had yet to place on the cake.

"It's an engagement cake," Judy replied with a tight smile, very different from the Judy Fabray that Puck had got to know ever since he and Quinn had become an item again after they returned from New York last year.

"Whose?" Puck asked, feeling something like pity for the generous, usually happy woman in front of him.

"My ex husband's," Judy managed to answer, her voice very tight, almost tight enough to break.

"Fu-uh," Puck almost slipped up, he coughed to cover what he'd almost said. "Jeez," he cried. "And people call _me_ stupid," he said with disgust. "He actually had the nerve to ask you to make him a _cake_? To celebrate his engagement to the tattooed freak he left you for?" he demanded, incensed on Judy's behalf.

"Business is business, Noah," Judy said, still concentrating on the cake. "I'm just getting started, I can't afford to turn business away," she told him, quite truthfully. "And to be fair, he didn't leave me for anyone, I kicked him out. And it was the fiancée, Greta, who placed the order, I'm not sure if she connected Flair-e-Cakes with her fiancé's ex-wife," she shrugged and bent closer to inspect some almost invisible flaw.

"Still, she must have said something to The Turd," Puck insisted.

Judy had to work hard to hide the smile. "Please don't call him that," she advised Puck. "Just think, one day, that turd will be your father-in-law, grandfather to your children," she added with a huge fake smile on her face, the humour in her eyes was totally genuine though.

"Hey, Jude," Puck cried, as usual bringing up the Beatles' classic, "don't be scaring me with all that future stuff like that," he teased. "You know I'm only here for the abuse and the cakes," he added. "Quinn kicks me out of her room, you feed me all the little bits you cut off when you're shaping the thing, right?" he said hopefully, nodding towards the mound of discarded off cuts and crumbs that were heaped in a bowl. Judy laughed and pushed the bowl towards Puck. "Thanks," he grinned as he shoved some in his mouth. "Mmmm," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "I wish I'd gone to the same school as Quinn when we were little," he pouted. "I bet she always brought cookies and cupcakes in on Fridays, right?" he asked, remembering the kids at his own school who'd had stay at home moms, they'd brought stuff like that in on Fridays. Puck never had, but then again, his mom had always had to work to keep the bills paid and a roof over their heads, his dad had been fairly useless at that sort of thing. Drinking and womanising, now that was a different matter, his dad was a freakin' expert at that.

"I'm done," Quinn announced from the kitchen doorway. "You two getting on alright in here?" she teased and came to sit down with Puck. "What you got there?" she asked, peering into the bowl.

Puck wrapped his arm protectively round the bowl and glared at Quinn. "Oh no, no, no, no. You don't get to come down here and take the cake right out of my mouth," he told her. "You sent me down here, I was quite happy to keep disturbing you but no, you wanted me out of the way. I got here first, it's _my_ cake and I'm not sharing," he grumbled and half turned away from her, putting his back to her but giving Judy a great big smile and a wink, she couldn't help but grin back.

"_My_ mother made the cake," Quinn reminded Puck, knowing exactly how he was playing this. "I _know_ she wants me to taste it," she announced. "Don't you mom, you need my opinion on this one, right?"

"It's a bit late now," Puck accused, turning back to Quinn. "The cake's already finished, and anyway, I already gave three thumbs up for the cake, I had to use one twice," he added the last bit in a whisper and demonstrated by holding a thumb up.

"Never mind, we'll get to taste it tomorrow at the party," Quinn replied with totally fake brightness. "Goody," she mock cheered then pulled a face. "Blah. Do I really have to go?" she pouted and fake sobbed at her mom.

"Yes you do," Judy answered, still making the minutest of adjustments to the final frosting. "You will attend your father's engagement party and support him as the Fabrays always do," she rolled her eyes at Quinn's raised eyebrow and questioning look, "and I'm absolutely certain that your wonderful boyfriend will want to go with you," she said as she looked at Puck and grinned. "It's not your fault that Russell detests you and loathes the very ground you walk on and it's not your fault that whenever he sees you his blood pressure goes through the roof," she told Puck. "Red is a rather unattractive colour on your father," she added to Quinn.

"Go mom," Quinn laughed, raising her hand to high five Judy, Judy complied, laughing herself.

"Am I mean for wishing it all goes a bit...skewed?" Judy asked both Quinn and Puck.

"Nope," they answered together. "But we'll tell you all about it on Sunday," Quinn added. "I think we're staying at your house tomorrow night, right?" she asked Puck.

"If you want," Puck shrugged, nibbling on a bit more of the cake. Puck didn't care which house they slept at, as long as it was together. They respected both of their mothers through the week, neither of them staying at the other's house past ten o'clock from Sunday through to Thursday night, but Friday night and Saturday night they spent together. The whole night. They had since they'd both turned eighteen anyway. And it pissed Russell Fabray off so damn much. Especially the fact that his daughter was dating 'the mongrel' who had taken advantage of her and ruined her life.

"Do you two need anything?" Judy asked as she placed the hand painted paste newspaper in position on top of the cake, between the modelled couple. Judy hoped no one looked too closely at the message on the newspaper, because there, in miniature, written in tiny, wonderfully flowing, fancy lettering, it actually said 'Gordon Russell Fabray the Turd' instead of 'Gordon Russell Fabray the Third'. Judy felt the most wonderful glow inside her as she gave the tiny newspaper a little pat.

"No, we're good," Quinn replied and rounded the breakfast bar to give her mom a kiss on the cheek. "Do you need a hand to box this?" she asked, indicating the large cake.

"I will tomorrow. I'm just going to put it in the conservatory tonight, it's cool enough in there," Judy replied as she went to get the trolley. "Make sure you keep Jeremy out of there though," she reminded Quinn.

"I will," Quinn said with a giggle and a roll of her eyes. The last time Jeremy had been shut in the conservatory with a cake, he had jumped up onto the trolley and gorged himself, taking nibbles here and there, licking at it, his rough tongue taking the colouring and gold glitter off the frosting.

"Here Judy," Puck offered, going to help lift the heavy cake. "I'll take it," he said, pushing the hostess style trolley through the dining room to the conservatory. "Out you go, dumbass," he murmured to the huge white persian cat, giving him a nudge with his toe. Jeremy gave Puck a look that would have dropped a lesser mortal, as only cats can do. "Oh like that bothers me," he scoffed at the cat. "And you're not getting in Quinn's room tonight, either," he told the animal. Jeremy stalked away, his paws landing daintily one in front of the other, his tail raised high in the air. He paused to glance back at Puck, Puck could read his expression straight away. "Oh no, no you don't," he called. "Quinn, don't let him in tonight, he sleeps on my head and makes me sneeze," he pouted, glaring at the cat.

Jeremy jumped lightly up onto the stool at the breakfast bar and rubbed his head against Quinn, pushed against her to make her stroke him. He purred loudly as he stared Puck down. Puck could read the cat's face as plainly as his nana could read his. "I am so kicking you out of bed tonight," Jeremy's eyes promised Puck.

Puck walked over to Quinn and plucked the purring cat out of her arms, placing him on the floor. "He is not sleeping in your room tonight," Puck reminded her. "Every time he does, he ends up sleeping either across my throat or around my head, he hates me, that cat hates me," he accused, pointing at the cat.

"No he doesn't, do you sweetie?" Quinn said, crouching to stroke the cat's huge fluffy body and pet his head. Jeremy licked his lips and turned accusing amber eyes on Puck. "No he doesn't, he's just the best pussy cat in the entire world, yes you are," she murmured as she picked him up again, speaking into the cat's fur. "Yes you are, yes you are, yes you are," she repeated, ending with loads of kisses on top of Jeremy's head. "Pthew, pthew, pthew," Quinn tried several times to rid herself of the mouthful of cat hair she'd managed to acquire. "Ha," was all that Puck added apart from the glare at Jeremy.

Back in Quinn's room, after locking up for Judy and watching TV for a while, Puck waited till Quinn had gone to the bathroom to nudge Jeremy out of the bedroom. "Told you, cat, you're not getting in here tonight," he murmured as he closed the door before he joined Quinn in the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"Do you have to come in while I'm peeing?" Quinn demanded crossly.

"It's not like it's a feature unique to you," Puck scoffed. "We all do it, we all take a dump. And fart, get over yourself," he laughed at her red face.

"Urgh, boys," Quinn growled as she flushed then bumped Puck out of her way at the sink so that she could wash her hands. "You're all disgusting, I'm so glad I'm a girl," she said then rolled her eyes as Puck laughed again around his toothbrush.

"I'm rather pleased you're a girl too, in fact, if you were a boy," Puck grinned, "we wouldn't be having this discussion and I wouldn't be about to climb into bed with you, that's for sure," he announced. Quinn growled again when Puck lifted the toilet seat to pee while she was still brushing her teeth. Boys! Gross!

* * *

"Congratulations," Quinn murmured as she kissed her father's fiancée's cheek, well, kissed _near_ her cheek, air kissed. "Dad," she added as she turned to Russell, kissing his cheek too. "Is Frannie here yet?" she asked, glancing round at the gathering of familiar and unfamiliar faces. "Uncle Rob," she cried as she spotted her father's younger brother.

"Thank you, Quinn," Russell smiled at his daughter then aimed a sneer at the mowhawked boy behind her. "Glad you could make it tonight, both of you," he managed to say, even though his comment was totally insincere, he obviously, genuinely, wanted Quinn there, but Puck would have put money on Russell secretly wishing the ground would open up and swallow Puck for forever more. "Have you met my brother?" he asked Puck, speaking to him directly for what was possibly the first time ever.

"Dude," Reverend Rob Delaney cried and shared a fist bump with Puck. "I have not seen you in _forever_," he said, shaking his head. "You should come down to the centre, you haven't seen it since it was finished, have you? The kids miss you, come down and bring your guitar too," he instructed. "And my little Quinnie, you look so grown up," he cried, opening his arms wide to drag Quinn into a hug that would last a while. "You didn't tell me _this _guy was _your_ guy," he accused Quinn. "He is one cool dude, and he can sing," he told Quinn, as if she didn't know that already.

"How do you know Puck?" Quinn demanded of her uncle, a huge smile on her face, she knew now they had at least one ally, probably two because if Uncle Rob liked someone, Aunt Jenn usually followed.

"He did his community service at the day care centre, you know when we had to refurb after the fire?" Rob explained, picking up and tucking into the plate of food he'd been carrying around with him. "Mmm," he sighed, "this is to die for, I can't believe you set a theme for the food for tonight. I don't think I've ever been to a party before that had every form of pork and ham known to man," he told his brother, clearly awed by the simplicity of such tasty food. "Amazing," he sighed again as he took another bite.

"That was thoughtful, dad," Quinn said snootily. "You know that Puck is Jewish, is that why you chose a pork theme for the food? So that he wouldn't be able to eat anything at all? Nice," she sneered.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Russell exclaimed, his hand at his chest, his eyes opened wide. "Have we offended you?" he asked Puck, daring him to answer.

"Not at all, Mr Fabray," Puck replied. "I bet they're all your favourite dishes, right?" he asked, he grinned and gave a nod towards the groaning food tables. "That's the best thing about hosting your own party, you get to choose the menu. I'm really pleased that Quinn asked me to choose the menu for _our _engagement party, we're going totally Kosher on that one," he confided then bustled Quinn away to allow his words to sink in.

"That had better be a joke, Puckerman," Russell Fabray growled, his face almost purple with temper.

Puck took a few steps back to come face to face, almost nose to nose with Quinn's dad. "Which part?" he asked pleasantly.

"You are _not_ getting engaged to my daughter," Russell vowed, giving Puck a hateful, narrow eyed stare, enunciating every single word. "I won't allow it. You ruined her life once already, you don't get to do it again, she's meant for better things than you," he added.

"Is that right?" Puck asked, barely able to keep the laughter in. "You know the best thing about turning eighteen?" he asked, seeing Russell's face turn three shades darker. "We don't have to ask anyone's permission," he whispered near Russell's ear, smiled, patted his shoulder, then walked away to rejoin Quinn and her uncle.

"I knew it was a mistake coming here tonight, but mom said I had to," Quinn pouted at her uncle. Rob kissed his niece's forehead but didn't say anything.

"How come you're a Delaney not a Fabray?" Puck asked, he'd never made the connection to Quinn's family before, never realised that the really nice youngish reverend was her uncle.

"We have the same mom but different dads," Rob explained. "Russell's dad died when he was seven, mom got married again, to my dad, they had me, Russell never wanted to take my dad's name, he liked being a Fabray," he said with a shrug.

"Like me and my sister, same mom, different dads," Puck replied. "My dad was an asshole, Abi's dad was an even bigger asshole," he added. "My mom sure knows how to pick 'em," he said with a wink.

"There's a few veggie options," Jenn, Quinn's aunt told them breathlessly as she joined them. "I just checked with the caterer.

"I still won't be able to eat those, but thanks for enquiring," Puck said with a rueful shrug.

"Why?" Jenn asked curiously, wondering if Puck was just choosing to be awkward now, to make things hard for Russell. Not that Russell was Jenn's favourite person, he wasn't, but it was his engagement party after all.

"See, I don't know if the caterer will have used different utensils or different shelves in the oven to cook the veggie dishes and the pork dishes, even if they weren't in the oven at the same time," Puck explained. "Kosher is about more than just the food, it's a way of life," he said, giving a simple shrug of apology. "Yeah I know, I don't look the type to be too bothered about religion or practices," he grinned, mocking himself. "It makes my rabbi laugh too," he sniggered.

"Well, I'm sorry that my dad chose to do this just to get at us. What did you say to him anyway?" Quinn asked, glancing back at her dad, he seemed to have a more natural colour about him now.

"What about?" Puck asked, feigning ignorance.

"When he told you he wouldn't allow us to get engaged," Quinn replied. "Not that we really are getting engaged, Puck only said that to wind my dad up, seriously, we aren't," she assured her aunt and uncle. "I'm going to Yale in the fall and Puck is going to OSU to become a PE teacher," she announced proudly.

"That's excellent," Rob said with a huge smile, he was really pleased for both of them to have their goals mapped out so early. "I'd have thought you'd probably want to be a music teacher, you were fabulous with the kids at the centre, you should consider it as another option."

"That's my secondary route," Puck said with a nod of understanding as he sipped his regrettably virgin coke. "My main focus will be physical education, but I will back that up with the qualifications I already have for music, and maybe, if I can't find a Phys Ed job, maybe combine the two, whoever employs me will get two for the price of one," he grinned brightly at Quinn. "But I'm drawing the line at Sacred School of Music, that's where Rabbi Petersen wants me to go to," he laughed. "I don't think I'd make a very good cantor, do you?" he asked Quinn with a wink.

"No, probably not, and you still didn't tell me what you said," Quinn reminded Puck.

"Crap, I thought I distracted you with talk of education and college," Puck sighed and screwed up his face, a little embarrassed. "I told him that we didn't need his permission and that we wouldn't be asking for it because we're both eighteen and we can do as we please," he mumbled.

"You think my mother will let you get away with that?" Quinn asked, barely able to hold in the giggle.

"Not a chance," Puck replied. "But that's ok, I like Judy," he added. "Your dad's an asshole," he finished then took a drink. "Sorry Rev," he muttered.

"That's quite alright," Reverend Rob replied. "I think my brother's an asshole too," he admitted then wandered away to mingle with other people.

Quinn and Puck chatted with more family members, friends and acquaintances and were glad that the evening wore on, albeit very, very slowly. "Oh, here we go, brown nose at seven o'clock," Puck mumbled, glancing around the room as though completely disinterested. Quinn spun around once she'd seen who Puck meant. Frannie and her husband.

"Shit, look at her face," Quinn hissed at Puck, wide-eyed and a little afraid.

"Quinnie," Quinn's sister, Frannie, stated, expecting Quinn to turn and face her. Quinn spun around slowly, taking a deep breath before she could look her sister in the eye. "You," she addressed Puck, looking him up and down, clearly finding him wanting, Frannie could make Sue Sylvester seem like she'd graduated top of the class from charm school. Frannie sighed and dismissed Puck from her immediate line of vision. "Dad says you're getting engaged," Frannie snapped without looking too much at either of them. "I must say, Quinnie, I think it's in very poor taste to ruin dad and Greta's party by announcing that, it's _their_ day not yours, you just can't help always making it about you, can you? Everything has to revolve around you, everything has to be about you," she demanded crossly.

"Frannie, it was a joke," Quinn sighed. "We aren't getting engaged, not for years yet, we haven't even graduated high school yet, then we've both got college," she reminded her sister.

"Please don't tell me the neanderthal is going to college," Frannie laughed mockingly.

"Why?" Puck asked. "Does it make you nervous that I can get in to college but your husband couldn't?" he added silkily. "Oh but he didn't need to, did he? He just took over daddy's chain of UPS stores, didn't he?" Frannie chose not to answer, she flounced away to greet her husband and spend some more time with her dad and Greta. "It wouldn't matter if the guy ever did go to college, he'd still be a dick," Puck muttered. "Sorry, your sister just pushes my buttons," he sighed.

"Don't let her get to you," Quinn advised and hugged Puck's arm. "We've been here a couple of hours now, I think we can make our escape," she decided. Puck gave Quinn a huge, beaming, thankful smile. Together they sought out Russell and Greta to say goodbye and wish them the best.

"Please tell me you're not really thinking about marrying this loser," Russell whispered to Quinn as he gripped her in a tight hug.

"Oh I am definitely going to marry him, but he's not a loser," Quinn replied, just as quietly into her dad's ear. "He's more of a man than you'll ever be, he would never turn his back on his daughter, no matter what," she informed her dad without a thought to how it would make him feel. "The only reason he agreed to Beth's adoption is because it was what _I_ wanted, not him and if I hadn't allowed you to force me into it, I wouldn't have wanted it either."

"You might like to tell yourself that you were forced into it, Quinnie," Russell hissed, making sure that no one around them would hear the conversation. "But you were the one doing the signing, no one held the pen for you."

"And when I sought legal advice to get her back when she was four months old, what happened?" Quinn demanded icily. "You had Puck arrested," she reminded her dad. "And I will never forgive you for that," she added. "Don't bother inviting me to the wedding, I'll be busy that day," she said, deciding right at that very moment that she did not want to have a relationship with her father at all.

"We haven't set a date yet," Russell cried, looking puzzled.

"Doesn't matter, whatever date it is, I'll be busy," Quinn retorted and almost ran out of the room, Puck following her closely behind.

"What was all that about?" Puck asked as they climbed into his truck.

"Nothing," Quinn sniffed and wiped the few tears away from her eyes.

Puck gave Quinn a long, long look but didn't say anything, he hoped that she might have cheered up by the time they got home.

"Hi," Puck's mom called as they walked into the house. "You're early, I thought you might have stayed later than this," she said with a frown when she looked at the clock.

"We were fine till my sister arrived," Quinn sighed as she slumped down onto the couch, still in her jacket with her bag on her shoulder. "Blah," she pouted. "Are all sisters annoying, or is it just mine?" she asked Puck and his mom.

"All," they both cried together and laughed.

"Hey," Abi, Puck's little sister cried and jumped up when she realised that meant that she was annoying. "And it means you're annoying too, Quinn Fabray," she added triumphantly.

"Why?" Quinn asked, wondering where Abi would take the argument.

"Because you're already Frannie's sister but when you marry Noah, you'll be my sister too," Abi announced then sat down and carried on watching her favourite Disney movie.

"That's true," Puck said, nodding as he thought it through.

"So you are going to marry me one day?" Quinn asked.

"Sure," Puck replied and hugged Quinn close. "One day," he murmured then winked at his mom. "In about fifty years or so," he added then dodged away when Quinn swung round to smack him for his cheek.

* * *

"So how was it?" Judy asked Quinn after church on Sunday morning.

"As you'd expect," Quinn sighed. "Things went downhill after Frannie arrived, we didn't stay very long after that," she added and sighed again. "Why does Frannie hate me so much?" she asked quietly, not really expecting an answer. Quinn and Judy both sat in the car looking at the people still coming out of church.

"Because she can't have children and you can," Judy replied just as quietly. "She had hoped that you would let her adopt Beth, that's why your dad pushed for it, I know he more or less threatened you about it," she said, turning sideways in the driver's seat to reach for Quinn's hands over the centre console. "I was so pleased when Ms Corcoran was the one who adopted Beth," she told her. "I know that she'll have the best life possible and if she couldn't be with you and Noah then she deserves to have the best life possible and that wouldn't have been with Frannie," Judy said sadly. "Do you remember when you broke your arm?" she asked, Quinn nodded. "Frannie did that. When you were little, she would feed you all those puddings and desserts so that you would be fat and not be the cute baby that she was, so that you wouldn't be popular at school like she was, she was jealous of you, always jealous," Judy sighed. "And I don't think I ever did enough to protect you," she admitted, "but I could protect your baby. No way was Frannie getting anywhere near Beth, and I'm sorry that you didn't get to keep her, but in the future, when you're older, settled down, with Noah," she added, smiling at Quinn, "you'll have more children and the door is open for Beth to come and find you when, if, she's ready."

"It's just so hard right now," Quinn whispered, tears filling her eyes, her hands gripped tight with her mom's. "She's two years old next month," she reminded Judy. "Two years and I've never seen her, not since she was in the nursery at the hospital, and I miss her _so much_," Quinn's voice faded to almost nothing. "I didn't know it would be possible to miss someone that much, it's like a piece of my heart is missing, like there's a hole there and sometimes I can't breathe because the hole just swallows me up and then there are times when I'm laughing, having a good time and it just tugs at me, like it's there to remind me I'm not supposed to have fun, not supposed to be happy. I have to carry this burden, this guilt around with me, everywhere I go, it's just, it's there, on my shoulder, I can see it out of the corner of my eye, it's physical, visible, it's, like," she slowed, her voice fading away after her outburst.

"Oh my baby," Judy cried, hugging Quinn close, weeping with her. "Oh my poor, poor baby," she repeated, no idea how to start making things better for Quinn. "I had no idea you felt this way, I thought you were fine, that you and Noah were fine," she said, distraught that she had not seen this sadness, this depression in her daughter, angry at herself for not helping her sooner.

"We are fine mom," Quinn replied into Judy's neck. "It's not all the time, just sometimes and I know, we can find a counsellor or something," she smiled, mocking herself a little as she wiped away the tears. "I think it's just the culmination of a lot of things," she admitted. "There's graduation," she said, holding one finger up, "that's quite a frightening prospect," she told her mom. "There's going to Yale and knowing that Puck will still be here in Lima and I won't get to see him so much, There's Beth's birthday, like I said and then dad's engagement," she added still counting on her fingers, "and then last night when Puck said that, it was just the topper, you know?"

"Said what?" Judy asked, concern for Quinn rushing through her entire body.

"Something like we'll get married in the next fifty years or so," Quinn sighed. "I mean, I know he was just joking, but it hit me hard, like, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe he doesn't want to be with me, maybe he's just waiting till I go to New Haven then he can be free," she shrugged. "Like maybe for the last year he's just been humouring me because he felt guilty about getting me pregnant in the first place."

"I'm sure that's not true," Judy replied. She was more than sure. "I know for a fact that's not true," she said, making a decision. "And the reason I know is that, oh God I think Noah will kill me for this," she whispered to herself. "I know that for a fact because Noah already asked for permission, from myself and Grace, to buy you a ring, he assures us it's not an engagement ring," Judy quickly corrected Quinn's thoughts, stopped them racing off in the wrong direction. "It's..." she was cut off by Quinn.

"Mom, please don't tell me anymore," Quinn begged, relief flooding through her that she had been so, so wrong. "I'll wait till Puck says something," she promised.

* * *

"I'm so sorry," Judy whispered into the phone, glancing round to make sure that Quinn wasn't listening in. "I just couldn't bear to see her in such turmoil," she explained. "Please, please forgive me," she begged.

"Don't worry," Judy was told. "It only brings things forward about a month or so, no big deal."

"I can't tell you how sorry I am," Judy repeated.

* * *

"Hey," Puck said as Quinn answered her phone. "What are you doing right now?" he asked.

"Just chilling in my room," Quinn replied as she stroked Jeremy, he was laid on her stomach, she was laid on her bed. "Why?" she asked, smiling to herself.

"Come to your window," Puck urged with a smile in his voice.

"Why?" Quinn asked again, a feeling of excitement thrilling her, taking her breath a little.

"Just because," Puck replied, Quinn still heard his smile, could picture it in her mind.

Quinn sighed and got off her bed, Jeremy meowed as he was disturbed then settled himself on Quinn's bed to give himself a bath. Quinn tugged her curtains open. "Oh," she cried, Puck's face at her window made her jump. "What are you doing, you idiot?" she asked, opening the window for Puck to climb in from the trellissing outside her window.

"I came to see you," Puck replied as he dusted off his hands.

"Why didn't you just use the front door?" Quinn asked, slapping his chest lightly before stretching up to kiss him.

"Because I thought this was more romantic," Puck admitted shyly.

"You are romantic," Quinn agreed with him. "Special and romantic," she reminded him.

Puck nodded as he held onto Quinn's hand, held it to his chest. Puck knew that Quinn would be able to feel his heart pounding in his chest. He was so nervous, really nervous. "You know I love you, right?" he asked, his breathing was getting faster and faster, his heart was beating so fast now, like he'd just run a marathon. Quinn nodded, biting her lip as she looked up into Puck's eyes. "And I know you love me too, right?" he asked, suddenly feeling a little less sure. "I have something to ask you," he began and shifted a little. Puck suddenly got down on one knee.

"Oh God," Quinn whispered, her fingers trembling on her lips. She swallowed a few times, wondering if this was really happening.

"Now, don't get the wrong idea," Puck teased as he drew a small box out of his pocket. "I love you and I know we belong together," he said, his voice quivering nervously, "and I know in the future we'll get engaged, then we'll get married and have lots of beautiful babies, but for now, Quinn Fabray, will you wear this promise ring as a symbol of our commitment to each other?"

Quinn bit back a sob, happy tears ran down her face. "Yes," she managed to say, and held out her right hand for Puck to put the ring on her finger.

"No," Puck said, smiling up at Quinn from his position on the floor. "The other hand, the right hand is for people just pretending at it, this is for real," he told Quinn as he pushed the ring on the third finger of her left hand. Puck pushed up from the floor and stood in front of Quinn, his hands cupped her cheeks, his lips mashed together with hers.

"That's beautiful Noah," Judy said from the door way, "but it doesn't change the rules," she added and looked pointedly at her watch.

"Not even for one night?" Puck asked over his shoulder, giving Judy a sad look, an exaggerated pout.

Judy turned the ipad to face herself. "What do you think, Grace?" she asked Puck's mom who was on face time, watching the event along with Judy. "Shall we be lenient this one time?"

"Pretty please," Puck said to his mom, fluttering his eyelashes at her, showing his angelic smile that used to work when he was a little boy.

"Oh please, that hasn't worked since you were nine and left a frog in my bed because you didn't like Adam," Grace told her son. She looked at both Puck's and Quinn's hopeful faces. "Ok, this one night, that's it, but you better be at school on time tomorrow," she said, sighing as she caved in.

"Thank you," Puck called and waved to his mom. "I'll see you at home tomorrow," he added, hoping Judy would take the hint. She didn't.

"Not so fast," Judy cried and stepped even further into Quinn's bedroom. "I want to see the ring at least. Oh, that's lovely," she sighed as she inspected the ring on Quinn's finger. "What stone is that?" she asked, not quite able to place it.

"Well, I did some research," Puck replied, taking Quinn's hand and fiddling with the ring on her finger. "I decided an infinity symbol suited us because we are forever, nothing will ever change that and the stone is an Alexandrite, it's one of the birthstones for June, to represent Beth, because she will be with us forever too, and maybe one day, if she ever wants to meet us, maybe we can give her this ring to let her know that she was always in our hearts and our thoughts, even if we couldn't be in her life," he finished shyly, blushing at revealing so much of his inner self to anyone other than Quinn. Puck looked up then at the three women, Quinn, Judy and his mom, all three were weeping silently.

"Noah," Judy croaked, reaching to hug him, still with the ipad in her hand. "That was beautiful, but it doesn't alter the rules. Tonight is the exception but after this it's the normal, Sunday through Thursday, your own houses, Friday and Saturday wherever. That's the rules. Rules of engagement you might say."


End file.
